Mark Zuckerberg Should Sponsor for Asylum the Family of Indian Muslim Lynched for Eating Beef

Silicon Valley's shameless courting of Indian PM Modi has fed the flames of Hindu zealotry in India

One day after India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Hindu nationalist, returned home from Silicon

DonkeyHotey / Foter / CC BY

Valley after being feted by Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg and other fawning IT CEOs, a Muslim man was lynched and his son beaten into a coma by a Hindu mob not far from Modi's New Delhi residence. What was their crime? Plotting a Modi assassination? A terrorist attack? Raping someone?

No. They were suspected of harboring and consuming beef. BEEF.

But what has PM Modi's reaction to this horrible incident that has sent shockwaves in India been. After all, Zuckerberg hailed Modi as a model leader who would revolutionize governance with his masterful use of social media "to connect with citizens."

Complete and total silence, I point out in my column at The Week. This frenetic tweeter has issued not a single tweet, nor posted a Facebook statement expressing regret or offering condolence for this dead Muslim citizen.

But if Modi thinks he can get away by giving Hindu zealots free rein to persecute and kill others in the name of his religion, it is because he thinks folks like Zuckerberg have his back. These CEOs engage in selective diplomacy, naively lapping up Modi's happy talk about "inclusive development," allowing Modi to bury the rest of his odious agenda in international glory.

But there are three things Zuckerberg can do to wash off his bad Modi karma, including sponsoring the slain man's family for asylum.

Read what the others are in my column here.

Comments

[Pan Zagloba]

Yeah, Modi, get on that corpse and start signaling! India needs sensible beef mob control, with regulations and waiting periods before mobs are created!

[Just say Nikki]

Yep, that's what Dalmia is asking for.

[Pan Zagloba]

Given such fears, the first thing that any decent leader ? let alone one who chants the mantra of "good governance" ? would do is reassure the country that he'll redouble his efforts to protect all Indians, especially vulnerable minorities. He would pledge to severely punish the assailants regardless of party ? which would be reassuring given that some of the suspects arrested are related to the local leader of Modi's BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party). He might also, as per Gandhian tradition, lead a path yatra ? a solidarity march ? to the family's house, as many have been urging.

Narendra Modi has done none of that.

Instead, this great communicator ? whom Zuckerberg hailed as a model leader who would revolutionize governance with his masterful use of social media "to connect with citizens" ? has issued not a single tweet, and posted not a Facebook statement expressing regret or offering condolence for this dead Muslim citizen.

She's not asking for Modi to go full Obama and start signaling? Yes, the second part was taking the piss - but what is he supposed to say? "Don't murder?" "Don't break the law?" "Judges will rule as I command?" Why should he get on Facebook to posture, and why is it Zuckerberg's fault that he didn't? Since when is fucking Twitter and Facebook how government operates? And why am I talking like Judge Napolitano?

[Just say Nikki]

Modi has no problem "signalling" plenty with regards to Hindu nationalism. Do you get that Dalmia blames his "signalling" for fomenting an environment where not only does mob violence like this happen, but where Modi's own party is angry the murders are being investigated? And if Modi already spends plenty of time "signalling" on Twitter, is it unreasonable to expect him to use one of those tweets to transmit condolences for the victims?

And it's not Zuckerberg's fault that Modi did not do these things. Zuckerberg is trying to make nice with Modi just like people frequently try to make nice with the assholes running Saudi Arabia. Indian-Americans were already calling him out for it before this happened. I don't see what's wrong with saying he shouldn't be friends with assholes who foment religious persecution.

[Pan Zagloba]

Do you get that Dalmia blames his "signalling" for fomenting an environment where not only does mob violence like this happen, but where Modi's own party is angry the murders are being investigated?

I do get that's why she's angry. She's been angry about him since before he was elected. I just don't believe that the mob of assholes would be any less a mob of assholes if he got on the Twitter to express condolences. He wouldn't mean it, they'd know he wouldn't mean it, it would just be a reflex genuflect, a pointless ritual that means nothing. Dunno, call it prejudice from personal experience of seeing first-hand government propaganda that foments murderous violence against minorities, and how it compares to what she's talking about.
And Zuckerberg isn't friends with Modi. He promoted Modi because Modi promoted his product, and he wants more government use of his platform because it's good for him. He's trying to get more internet use in India, and, unlike local monopolies, Modi is supportive of his efforts. None of this is his problem or fault in any way, and there's no reason to involve him.

[Just say Nikki]

So, he's such a piece of shit that you wouldn't believe him if he said he was sorry this guy was killed, but not such a piece of shit that Zuckerberg shouldn't have a relationship with him.

[Pan Zagloba]

What are they, getting married? He's a piece of shit who wants India to be less Communist, and Zuckerberg wants to do business in India. Indian telecom monopolies are fighting against Facebook giving Indians free internet access. Modi is for it. Hell yeah, Zuckerberg should have a business relationship with him. Where to draw the line? If Modi interferes with the trial, if he comes out and says something along the lines of 'they deserved it', if there's a wave of beef murders committed by BP mobs (gonna be harder to play 'isolated incident' card), or if he passes the law that says 'killing people for eating beef is manslaughter, not murder', maybe. Not saying things, not good enough. And I want him to pull completely out of Pakistan first. Because if he's preserving his virginity, then go preserve it.

[The Grinch]

Because you're an intelligent person but not a very good writer?

[Ted S.]

That opening sentence is something.

[Free Market Socialist $park?]

Wow. I can see why people give up on reading the articles with gems like that.

[Free Market Socialist $park?]

Giving the writers an edit button is clearly anti-liberty.

[bacon-magic]

Shikha is the Adam Lanza of journalism.

[Free Market Socialist $park?]

You just had to know that it would be a Jew that's responsible for a Muslim being killed.

[Florida Man]

A white man in American didn't stop a backwards mob half way around the world. For shame.

[NotAnotherSkippy]

Perhaps Shikha would like to educate us on what happened in Iran the day after nuke negotiations ended. Or maybe she'll write a follow-up on what happens when the $100BB is released.

Nah, that's totally different.

[Rhywun]

I don't think Zuckerberg owes anyone dick but I do appreciate the reminder from Dalmia that religious zealotry can be evil regardless of the flavor.

[Swiss Servator]

If this is trolling - it was kind of weak. If it was serious, it is even weaker...

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

Yup.

*takes bite of prime rib sandwich*

[Dark Lord of the wood chipper]

How many Venezuelans does Jimmy Carter need to sponsor? Hell, at least Jimmy actually played some small part in their misery instead of talking to a guy who didn't denounce it on twitter. Karma really is a bitch. A scornful, arbitrary, bitch.

[lap83]

So would Shikha stand by her anti-assimilation views if the Hindu mob immigrated over here too? Or are the Indian values she likes the only authentic aspects of the culture?

[Just say Nikki]

This story is another pro-cultural pluralism one. After all, the Muslims don't want to be assimilated by the Hindus.

[lap83]

At least assimilation in this country usually means you can still keep your religious beliefs. But obviously we'd prefer the abstaining from meat belief to the lynching meat abstainers belief.

[Chip the Chipper]

Eww but icky brown people

[Citizen X]

Dammit, now i'm hungry for palakh paneer.

[Zombie Jimbo]

I like saag paneer, with a big ribeye steak.

[Citizen X]

Dammit, now i'm even hungrier for a ribeye. Guess it's lunchtime.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

That's my go to move. Buy Indian food and add beef.

I do the same thing with the vegan food at Whole Foods.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Buy Indian food and add beef.

So, Pakistani food, basically.

[Los Doyers]

This is my go-to spot: http://www.alwatanrestaurant.com/

Superb.

[Los Doyers]

I mean, the chef's name--in Arabic, not sure about Urdu--means superb. That's saying something.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

My place:
http://www.elsegundoindiansummer.com

Mixed grill. I had it on tuesday.

[Citizen X]

As a general rule, vegan food is way better with beef than without.

[Drake]

Zuckerberg is busy suppressing free speech right now. Seems Merkel needs some help keeping the peasants quiet.

http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/27.....posts.html

[Dark Lord of the wood chipper]

Now that's a legitimate complaint.

[Pan Zagloba]

Look, if you allow this sort of thing to be said, next thing you know mobs of neo-Nazis will be murdering thousands of migrants in their beds while the society cheers them on. Remember how Hitler got to power via Facebook?

[Los Doyers]

You know who else was busy suppressing free speech? This one is way too easy.

[Pan Zagloba]

Anita Sarkeesian?

[Almanian - just Almanian]

The Justice Department?

The IRS?

Hitler?

[Free Market Socialist $park?]

The British Panel on Free Speech?

[Dark Lord of the wood chipper]

Everyone here if someone mentions Lucy?

[Almanian's Rusty Woodchipper]

DON'T TALK ABOUT LUCY!!!

[Dark Lord of the wood chipper]

See? Now we see the violence inherent in the system!

[Citizen X]

Nick Gillespie, re: woodchippers?

[Almanian - just Almanian]

Well, at least we know the answer to the question, Where's the Beef?

*points at teh moozlumz' house*

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

*points to me*

[Almanian's Rusty Woodchipper]

*pulls up chair at Playa's a sits holding fork and knife, expectantly*

[Steve G]

*Meme of Michael Jackson eating popcorn*
I'm just here for the Shikha hate

[Heroic Mulatto]

This is only one of the many attacks on personal freedoms by Hindu nationalists under Modi. If Zuckerberg and his fellow CEOs don't fully understand Modi's agenda, it is because they live in a bubble where they get their cues on India-related matters from the Indian-American IT professionals who dominate Silicon Valley. The vast majority of these folks, despite their outward trappings of Americanization and modernization, are assertive Hindus and true believers in Modi's hype about making India a technological superpower. They come from a class and caste background that inclines them to cover India's warts, even if that means pooh-poohing the plight of poor and persecuted minorities.

I would think such a sweeping claim concerning the ideological and political inclinations of millions would require, you know, a citation or two?

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

Not in Dalmiatown.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Zuckerberg could symbolically join the human rights groups in India that are organizing beef-eating festivals around the country by publicly eating a steak in the honor of Mohammad Akhlaq, the murdered father.

I wonder how Dalmia would react if Zuckerberg showed solidarity with Judea Pearl, the father of Daniel Pearl, by attending a Koran-burning festival, in honor of Daniel Pearl, who was beheaded by Pakistani Islamists.

Or is blasphemy not fungible like that?

[Heroic Mulatto]

One of those commas was superfluous.

[Almanian's Rusty Woodchipper]

KILL THE SUPERFLUOUS COMMA!!!!

/roving bands of Hindu toughs

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

You're superfluous.

[Just say Nikki]

I don't think Zuckerberg was buddying up with the Islamists.

[Heroic Mulatto]

He's not buddying up with Hindutva zealots either. Modi and the BJP as blood-soaked theocrats is a merely a caricature drawn up by radical left-wingers in India and elsewhere who are angered at the party's scale-back of the honest-to-goodness Communist policies of the 1970's. And shame on Dalmia for indulging in it. At least Dalmia's criticism of Modi's negligence during the Gujarat riots had some heft to it. The murder of Mohammad Akhlaq has nothing to do with Modi, much less Zuckerberg.

[Just say Nikki]

What about the sketchy "reconversion" stuff they're so into? Is it all unreliably sourced? I mean, it doesn't make them blood-soaked if true, but it makes them suck.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Oh, the BJP sucks, no doubt about that. Religious conversion is a huge issue in places like India and Malaysia where political franchise is based on religious affiliation. India's laws against religious conversion arose in part due to the actions of both Christian and Islamic missionaries, as well as the Neo-Buddhist movement of B. R. Ambedkar, which all had political ramifications on who got what. Especially as there are political parties based around a certain religion. BJP for upper-caste Hindus, BSP for the untouchables, various Muslim parties, and the Communist Party of India for Marxists, etc.

[GILMORE?]

"Modi and the BJP as blood-soaked theocrats is a merely a caricature drawn up by radical left-wingers in India '

Really? I thought it has something to do with the fact that Hindus ran riot and murdered 1000s of minorities while he was in charge of Gujarat, and did nothing to stop it or punish the perpetrators

I don't doubt there's plenty of exaggeration on both sides. My impression of indian politics has always been that its sort of insane in an old-school way that hardly exists anywhere else.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Really? I thought it has something to do with the fact that Hindus ran riot and murdered 1000s of minorities while he was in charge of Gujarat, and did nothing to stop it or punish the perpetrators

Again, the claim that he "did nothing" is untrue. Was he incompetent? Probably. Nevertheless, the whole thing was a clusterfuck even if Modi was competent.

[GILMORE?]

"the claim that he "did nothing" is untrue'

I have no idea. this is just the impression i got from the media when he was first getting elected PM

[Heroic Mulatto]

Months later, Mr. Pandya was found shot dead in his car. When Mr. Modi went to his house to pay his respects, Mr. Pandya's widow told him he was responsible for her husband's death and asked him to leave. But a few months later, several Muslim youths were arrested in connection with Mr. Pandya's killing, and their motive was said to be vengeance for the riots. Twelve of them were later convicted of murder by a special court and sentenced, but the Gujarat High Court overturned the murder convictions, alleging flaws in the investigation. The Gujarat government and an investigating agency have since challenged this in the Indian Supreme Court.

Gujarat just doesn't seem to want to convict anyone for murder. Jeez!

[Pan Zagloba]

Better that a thousand guilty go free etc?

[GILMORE?]

" the claim that he "did nothing" is untrue.'

side note... i thought this detail from the link was funny, in context of that remark =

- "A top state official tells one investigation panel that Mr. Modi ordered officials to take no action against rioters. That official was murdered. "

[GILMORE?]

I seem to recall Reason chickening* out of Draw Muhammed Day not so long ago

*no offense intended to chicken-worshiping religions.

[Almanian's Rusty Woodchipper]

FACT

[Los Doyers]

They didn't want to offend their free expression-loving Islamist subscribers. Duh doi.

[lap83]

I wouldn't blame them, their interns can't even do alt-text. I doubt they're very skilled at marksmanship.

[Pan Zagloba]

Given that the organizer had to got into WPP and essentially disappear, with not a peep of protest from Right and Good... I can blame them, because fucking hell, that's why it happened.

[Pan Zagloba]

That's different - of course Pakistanis are murderous savages who can't be expected not to, say, lynch Christians accused of damaging Koran. But Indians are super-enlightened, and should know better!
Seriously, did we have a litany of articles about Pakistani politicians fomenting hate, mobs murdering minorities, murderers being feted as heroes and no response or condolences from anyone? Unlike India, Pakistan still receives US military aid and is considered an 'ally'. Should Obama, Clinton, Rice or Bush be forced to sponsor families of murdered Christians for asylum?

[Heroic Mulatto]

something, something, "punching-down"

[Pan Zagloba]

We're making Indians honorary whites? I mean, whites let both the Irish and us Slavs in, and I'll be damned if Indians don't have more civilizational achievement than both groups put together, then squared.

[GILMORE?]

I would never punch down.

Kicking seem to make a lot more sense. Plus, who wants to touch people like that.

[Jason Bayz]

My history textbook tells me there used to be a place called "British India" which was split into two countries called "India" and "Pakistan," Pakistan being the country for Muslims. Maybe they can find safety there?

But I'm sure Shikha Dalmia will tell me that Americans fought for independence against Britain so their country could be the refuge for anyone anywhere who manages to piss off their neighbors.

[kbolino]

India has roughly as many Muslims as Pakistan. Distilling the politics of the Indian subcontinent down to "Muslims belong in Pakistan" reflects about the same level of intelligence as Dalmia's analysis, which is to say very little.

[DRM]

India has roughly as many Muslims as Pakistan.

Well, yes, if you ignore that current Pakistan is only half of partition Pakistan. The lands of at-time-of-partition Pakistan has 330 million Muslims versus India's 180 million.

[Adans smith]

I;m amazed at how stupid people are in this day and age.Eating beef,or pork or shellfish because of some thousands of year old belief is fucking stupid,and killing someone that does is fucking insane.Asia,Afrria and the Middle East has populations of people that belong in the age of the with hunts. Hell,they still killl 'witches' in parts of those countries.And beef is good food,

[TimothyZ]

Look at how well tolerance worked out for the middle east, Africa and Pakistan. Perhaps people should consider "and eye for an eye" actually has a functional purpose.

Nah, everybody should behave as if they live in a protected little womb, and if you're nice to people everything will work out fine.

[Pan Zagloba]

. Perhaps people should consider "and eye for an eye" actually has a functional purpose.

Yes, purpose was precisely to avoid shit like this by forcing individuals to give up their right to vengeance and transfer it to a government that enforces the laws that are written down and thus applied equally regardless of who the parties are. That is why governments must crack down on behavior like this even when they like individuals that perform it, or otherwise their authority will be lost.
Just because I think Dalmia is a dipshit with stupid obsessions (like, if Modi says something, will she write an article praising Zuckerberg for being good influence on him?) doesn't mean there's a real problem of justice at the core, and that state government may well fumble badly.

[Ken Shultz]

"But if Modi thinks he can get away by giving Hindu zealots free rein to persecute and kill others in the name of his religion, it is because he thinks folks like Zuckerberg have his back."

This is overwrought.

http://www.merriam-webster.com.....verwrought

[4thaugust1932]

Modi is just promoting Upper caste/Brahmin/Bania hegemony in India;
He never had any credible plans for development/prosperity of India;

Brahmin population is less than 5% in India;
Check the number of Brahmin in Narendra Modi regime;

Parrikar is Brahmin; Doval is Brahmin; Gadkari is Brahmin; Sumitra is Brahmin; Sushma is Brahmin; Jaitely is Brahmin; Rajan is Brahmin; Smriti is Brahmin; Nirmala is Brahmin; Suresh Prabhu is Brahmin; Ravi Shankar is Brahmin; Kalraj Mishra is Brahmin;Maneka is Brahmin; Ananth Kumar is Brahmin;Anant Geete is Brahmin;Harsh Vardhan is Brahmin;Nadda is Brahmin;Jayant Sinha is Brahmin; Dharmendra Pradhan is Brahmin;Piyush Goyal is Brahmin; Mahesh Sharma is Brahmin;Manoj Sinha is Brahmin;

[4thaugust1932]

Modi FAILED to empower BC in India;
BC/SC/ST in Bihar will NOT vote for Modi/BJP/RSS;

[4thaugust1932]

Manmohan is Sonia's PM;
Modi RSS Prime Minister;

When will you get India's Prime Minister?

[4thaugust1932]

LALU dismantled Upper caste hegemony in Bihar;
MODI is just promoting Brahmin/Bania hegemony in India;

[4thaugust1932]

LALU chose politics as a CAREER to make money for his family;
MODI chose politics as a career to WEAR designer suits 3 times a day;

[4thaugust1932]

After Modi ran away from his home in 1967, Upper caste/RSS provided food/shelter for him; Hence...